CHEYENNE - Members of the House tweaked the Hathaway Scholarship requirements Friday before approving the bill on final reading and sending it to the Senate.

The revised bill still allows students who pass basic high school classes to receive up to $800 a semester for higher education. And those who take specific advanced math and science courses in high school, receive good grades and good scores on the ACT test get up to $1,600 a semester.

However, students would also have to take one year of foreign language to qualify for the $1,600 award. And students who aspire for the intermediate second tier of financial support, $1,200 per semester, would also have to achieve the grades and ACT scores required for the higher award.

"I think it's a fine example of what we do when we don't get on our position and hold fast to it," Rep. Bernadine Craft, D-Rock Springs, said just before the final 55-4 vote in favor of the bill.

Those voting against it were Reps. Bob Brechtel and Steve Harshman, R-Casper, Debbie Hammons, D-Worland, and Allen Jaggi, R-Lyman.

Key members of the Senate were quick to show displeasure with the House bill, which contains less rigorous requirements than recommended by a legislative committee that drafted the original scholarship standards over two years.

"We feel strongly over here that this should not be an entitlement program. It should be a merit scholarship program," said Sen. Hank Coe, R-Cody, chairman of the Senate Education Committee.